Antenna mounting bracket for a truck cab

ABSTRACT

A mounting bracket for an antenna to be removably mounted on the rear view mirror support bar of a highway truck. The bracket consists of an antenna support element, a clamp having two jaws, one of which is welded to the support element, and a padlock. The hasp of the padlock is welded to the support element and aligned with the jaws of clamp. The clamp is adjustable to grip mirror support rods of different diameters or cross sections after which the padlock is closed around the rod to prevent removal of the bracket off of the rod.

United States Patent Fleming Aug. 12, 1975 [54] ANTENNA MOUNTING BRACKET FOR A 3,342,444 9/1967 Nelson 248/44 x TRUCK CAB 3,369,247 2/1968 Bacow 248/43 X 3,555,551 1/1971 Gronlund. 248/43 x Inventor: Alva g, 5844 Adelaide 3,710,339 1 1973 Rima 343 715 43613 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1 1 Filedi 6, 1974 186,666 1/1907 Germany 248/203 [21] Appl. No.: 503,670

[52] US. Cl. 248/43; 248/203; 343/715 [51] Int. Cl. HOlQ 1/32 [58] Field of Search 248/38, 40, 41, 43, 203; 52/110; 343/715 [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,179,365 11/1939 Williams 52/110 2,269,947 l/l942 Ludwig 343/715 2,527,351 10/1950 Chandler 248/43 3,056,570 10/1962 Slavin 248/43 3,071,338 l/l963 Kaufman et al.. 248/43 3,100,241 8/1963 Goldstein 248/43 X 3,191,898 6/1965 McCullough 248/43 I [I I2 1 G),;I hl I Primary Examiner-J. Franklin Foss [5 7 ABSTRACT A mounting bracket for an antenna to be removably mounted on the rear view mirror support bar of a highway truck. The bracket consists of an antenna support element, a clamp having two jaws, one of which is welded to the support element, and a padlock. The hasp of the padlock is welded to the support element and aligned with the jaws of clamp. The clamp is adjustable to grip mirror support rods of different diameters or cross sections after which the padlock is closed around the rod to prevent removal of the bracket off of the rod.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED AUBI 2I975 ANTENNA MOUNTING BRACKET FOR A TRUCK CAB BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In recent years many long distance professionaltruck drivers have purchased personal transmitting and receiving radio sets by means of which they communicate, not only with their respective dispatchers, but also with each other. These sets are relatively expensive and for best operation each should have an I antenna mounted exteriorly of the drivers cab in order that the metal of the cab will not interfere with transmission and reception. With the current emphasis on highway safety more and more professional truck drivers are purchasing and utilizing radios of this type in order to warn each other of bad highway conditions, of road obstructions, of traffic jams and the like.

While the radio itself usually can be left interiorly of the cab and thus is protected from theft by locking the cab, because the antenna is mounted exteriorly of the cab, many such antennas have been stolen from trucks parked in truck stops or otherwise left unattended. Although the radio is much more expensive than the antenna, a suitable antenna, mounting bracket and a length of co-axial cable connecting the antenna to the radio set, still represents a considerable loss to the individual owner.

For these reasons, it is the principal object of the instant invention to provide an antenna mounting which will not only removably support the antenna exteriorly of the truck cab but which also has means by which the antenna can be locked to a structural element of the truck cab to discourage or make difficult, if not to prevent, thievery of the antenna, its mounting bracket and a length of the co-axial cable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a truck cab showing how an antenna mounting bracket embodying the invention may be removably locked onto a support rod illustratedas. being one of the extension support rods for a widely spaced rear-view mirror of the type with which many truck tractors and wide bodied trucks are equipped;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view in elevation taken from the inward side of an antenna mounting bracket embodying the invention and illustrating how an adjustable clamp is employed for positioning the antenna on the support rod; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in side elevation taken from the outer side of abracket embodying the invention and illustrating how a lock is utilized for locking the antenna mounting bracket onto the mirror support rod.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1 a drivers cab generally indicated by the reference number is shown fragmentarily and in perspective. In the case of highway tractors for large semitrailer type long distance trucks, or even for large trucks which are not of the semi-trailer type, the truck bodys are usually wider than the cabs. It is, therefore, necessary to have a rear view mirror 11 carried by horizontally extending support rods, in the illustrated case there being four of the rods 12 mounted on the outer side wall of the cab 10 and supporting the mirror 11 at the outer ends. These elements are rigidly and permanently mounted on the cab 10 and remain in place thereon regardless of who is driving the particular truck or tractor.

An antenna mounting bracket embodying the invention is generally indicated by the reference number 13 and is illustrated in FIG. 1 as being mounted upon an upper one of the support rods 12 in order to mount a suitable antenna 14 exteriorly of the cab 10 for best reception and transmission, the antenna 14 being connected to the radio set (not shown) which is located interiorly of the cab 10, by a co-axial cable 15. It will be appreciated, of course, that the support rods 12 on various trucks are not necessarily of the same diameter nor isit necessary that they be circular in cross-section. For this reason an antenna mounting bracket embodying the invention has clamp means which can be adjusted in order to clamp the bracket 13 on support ords of varying cross-sections and varying sizes.

The antenna mounting bracket 13, itself, comprises an antenna support element 16, in this case a simple, right angle metal bar of such size that the antenna 14 can be securely mounted thereon by a conventional mounting boss 17 and the co-axial cable 15 connected thereto by a conventional connector 18. While not essential to the invention, it is also preferable that the mounting boss 17 or connector 18, or both, be welded or otherwise permanently fixed to the support element 16 and a weld for this purpose is generally indicated by the reference number 19. A mounting bracket according to the invention also has a two-part clamp, generally indicated by the reference number 20, and, in this simple embodiment of the invention, the clamp 20 is a toggle-type adjustable pliers having a main jaw 21 and an adjustable jaw 22. The jaw 22 is connected by means of a handle 23 through toggle mechanism of conventional type and the spacing between the jaws 21 and 22 at which the pliers lock is adjustable by means of an adjusting knob 24. A clamping plier of this type is a standard commercial item, one such make being called a Vise Grip. The main jaw 21 of the clamp 20 is fixedly connected, for example, by welding, indicated by the reference number 25, to the support element 16. Thus the entire antenna mounting bracket may be mounted on the support rod 12 by opening the clamp 20, adjusting its bite, and then closing the jaws 21 and 22 tightly around the support rod 12 in position so that the antenna 14 is erected vertically outside of the cab 10. The co-axial cable 15 may be led into the cab 10 through an opening left by lowering or swinging open a conventional vent window 26, which is part of most drivers cabs.

The antenna mounting bracket 13 also comprises a two-part lock generally indicated by the reference number 27 and consisting of a case 28 and a generally U-shaped hasp 29. In this simple embodiment of the invention, the hasp 29 is welded permanently to the support element 16 by a weld generally indicated by the reference number 30.

The lock 27, when closed, defines a loop around the support rod 12 and is generally aligned with the space between the jaws 21 and 22 of the clamp 20 so that when the antenna bracket 13 is clamped onto the support rod 12 the lock 27 may be closed, thus locking the antenna support 13 on the support rod 12. When the driver moves to another vehicle, as is commonly done by long distance professional truck drivers, he simply opens the lock 27 and the clamp 20 which then enables him to completely remove the antenna 14 and its supclamp, and a port bracket 13 from the particular truck so that he can a pad lock having a caseand a generally U-shaped take it and the radio to the next vehicle which he isto hasp defining a loop surrounding said rod when drive. closed and aligned with the gripping portions of Having described my invention, I claim: 5 said jaws, said pad lock being openable for removal 1. An antenna mounting bracket for a highway vehifrom said rods, one part of said lock being intecle having a support rod attached to the exterior of the grally connected to one arm of said support elevehicle, said bracket consisting of ment.

an adjustable two-part clam'p adapted to be remov- 2. An antenna mounting bracket according to claim ably tightened on said support rod and adjustable l in which the support element is inverted L-shaped to tightly close the jaws thereof on such rods of and the one jaw of said clamp and the hasp of said padvarying sizes and cross sections, lock are integrally connected, as by welding, to at least an antenna support element having at least two legs the vertical arm of said element.

and being integrally connected to one jaw of said 

1. An antenna mounting bracket for a highway vehicle having a support rod attached to the exterior of the vehicle, said bracket consisting of an adjustable two-part clamp adapted to be removably tightened on said support rod and adjustable to tightly close the jaws thereof on such rods of varying sizes and cross sections, an antenna support element having at least two legs and being integrally connected to one jaw of said clamp, and a pad lock having a case and a generally U-shaped hasp defining a loop surrounding said rod when closed and aligned with the gripping portions of said jaws, said pad lock being openable for removal from said rods, one part of said lock being integrally connected to one arm of said support element.
 2. An antenna mounting bracket according to claim 1 in which the support element is inverted L-shaped and the one jaw of said clamp and the hasp of said padlock are integrally connected, as by welding, to at least the vertical arm of said element. 